The Example of the Food Assembly

Field Actions Science Reports The journal of ﬁeld actions

Special Issue 16 | 2017 Smart Cities at the Crossroads

Reinventing local food supply in connected cities: The example of The Food Assembly

The Food Assembly team

Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/4330 ISSN: 1867-8521

Publisher Institut Veolia

Printed version Date of publication: 1 June 2017 Number of pages: 44-49 ISSN: 1867-139X

Electronic reference The Food Assembly team, « Reinventing local food supply in connected cities: The example of The Food Assembly », Field Actions Science Reports [Online], Special Issue 16 | 2017, Online since 01 June 2017, connection on 19 April 2019. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/4330

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License www.factsreports.org

The Food Assembly (La Ruche Qui Dit Oui ! REINVENTING in French) is a social and collaborative enterprise created following a two-fold observation: crop and livestock farmers face LOCAL FOOD ﬁ nancial difﬁ culties while end-consumers aspire to new modes of consumption. SUPPLY IN By leveraging new technology and a decentralized physical network, The Food Assembly aims to encourage the scale- CONNECTED CITIES: up of short food supply chains. So far, this initiative has met with considerable The example success, especially in cities. This article looks back at the key factors underpinning of The Food Assembly the success of this initiative and the way in which digital technology can lead to reinventing food supply in connected cities. By The Food Assembly team

INTRODUCTION Over the past decade, conventional food distribution supply chains and modes of consumption have been increasingly called into question, especially in developed countries. On the one hand, crop and livestock farmers are now facing financial difficulties that undermine the viability of their activity. On the other, consumers aspire to new modes of consumption that are healthier, better for the environment and more transparent. This trend is all the more evident in cities with a high concentration of households with high purchasing power. This joint observations led to the creation in 2011 of The Food Assembly concept in France. Marc- David Choukroun (the current CEO), Guilhem Chéron, and Mounir Mahjoubi created The Food

The Food Assembly Assembly with the aim of putting producers and Picking up of members’ orders consumers directly into contact with each other using new technology. The idea is to draw on the power of digital technology to develop short food supply chains (SFSCs) and to allow consumers to “eat better and shop fairly.” The Food Assembly platform makes it possible to create and manage a local and independent SFSC community, connected to a network of other SFSC communities. Seven “Assemblies” were created in 2011 as part of a pilot project in France. The following year, The Food Assembly was certified a Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) company. In 2013, KEYWORDS the initiative won the City of Paris’s Grand Prize for Innovation. Today, there are more than 850 • SHORT FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS in France – a third of which in urban areas – and • DIGITAL PLATFORM more than 300 in other countries (Italy, Belgium, • LOCAL CONSUMPTION • SOCIAL TIES United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark).

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1. THE FOOD ASSEMBLY: AN ONLINE PLATFORM 2. IMPACT OF THE MODEL ON URBAN TO SCALE-UP SHORT SUPPLY CHAINS AREAS

1.1 DIGITAL INNOVATION AT THE HEART OF THE MODEL The aim of the model is to create bridges between rural producers and urban consumers through the The Food Assembly was created to enable the scale-up of SFSCs, use of digital technology. The impact of the model which are defi ned by the French Ministry of Agriculture as “a method on cities is environmental, social and economic. of selling agricultural products either directly by the producer to the consumer or by indirect selling providing there is only one REDUCING THE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT intermediary.” SFSCs have been created over the past few decades SFSCs aim to minimize the ecological footprint in France and elsewhere in the world by a range of stakeholders by encouraging production and consumption at (Teikeis in Japan, CSA - Community Supported Agriculture – in the the local level. While no product travelling further United States, Jardins de Cocagne and AMAPs in France, etc.), but than 250 km may be sold through an Assembly, they are often diffi cult to scale up. the average noted in France across the network To overcome these obstacles, The Food Assembly opted to leverage is 43 km. By comparison, the ingredients for an digital technology that can put tens of thousands of consumers industrial yoghurt travel 9,115 km before reaching and producers into contact with each other simultaneously. The the end consumer. company is now one of the leading stakeholders to have used new technology to create SFSCs. EMPOWERING ASSEMBLY HOSTS Managers of their Assemblies and organizers of The 850 Assemblies currently operating in France hold weekly the physical distribution of the products, 60% of markets where consumers come and meet the producers and collect Assembly Hosts are self-employed. At present, their food orders placed online. The SSE company is present via an for most Hosts, this is an additional activity that easy-to-use platform enabling consumers to join an Assembly free- provides them with the 8.35% of the sales made of-charge (close to their home or place of work, for example) and then through their Assembly, or an average of €500 per place weekly orders if they want without any particular obligation. All month. Around 80% of Hosts are women. They the products sold (fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products, etc.) are generally share the aim of bringing about new produced near each Assembly, on average within 43 km, in France, modes of consumption and fi nd that this activity and a maximum radius of 250 km. The selling prices are set by the not only gives them additional monthly income but producers themselves. No purchase-resale system is implemented: for most of them it also provides a springboard for the consumer pays 100% of the price to the producers. One of the the creation of a new business activity. model’s advantages is the speed of the transaction: the producers receive payment within two to five working days. They then pay CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL TIES 8.35% of this amount to cover service costs to the “Food Assembly” enterprise (see box below), which supplies the digital tool and back- In addition to the sale and purchase of products, offi ce, and 8.35% to the Assembly Host who organizes the sale and the Assemblies often provide a means for reducing distribution of the products each week. isolation and encouraging contact between the rural and urban worlds. Many Assembly Hosts 1.2. DESIGNED FOR PERI- URBAN AREAS, arrange visits to producers’ farms. Recently, one THE PROJECT WORKS JUST AS WELL IN CITIES Association’s members helped a market gardener The model was initially designed for consumers in peri-urban areas plant 600 trees on his land. The distributions, held where communities have limited access to local shops. However, the in a physical locality, are also opportunities for Assembly model was quickly adopted by city-dwellers, especially in residents to meet each other as well as producers, large cities, who have expressed a strong desire for new modes of some of whom are present during distributions to consumption. For producers, cities provide a new outlet that can, deliver their products. in some cases, make up for the weaker demand in their local area. The Food Assembly model also allows for For example, many producers who sell their products in Paris come social ties to be created within neighborhoods from the regions located in the north of the city where there are and among network members. The Assembly fewer opportunities for direct selling. Supplying cities is a signifi cant Facebook groups allow members to send each source of income for producers. other messages (advice, share recipes, swap services, loan equipment, etc.). Outside the actual digital tool, many Assembly Hosts unite their community by organizing events. For example, “THE FOOD ASSEMBLY IS ONE OF one Parisian Assembly organizes a “Grande THE FIRST STAKEHOLDERS TO HAVE USED Marmuche” or “Big Assembly Meet” every NEW TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL NETWORKS quarter, which is attended by around one hundred TO SPEED UP THE DEVELOPMENT OF SHORT members who come together to cook and share FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS.” a meal.

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The Food Assembly Example of a distribution point

RECLAIM PUBLIC SPACE AND BREATHE NEW LIFE 3. KEY FACTORS UNDERPINNING SUCCESS: INTO SHOPPING AREAS Some distribution points are located in public A DECENTRALIZED MODEL ARTICULATING spaces like event centers or public spaces. Others A DIGITAL PLATFORM AND A DECENTRALIZED take place in cafes or restaurants bringing in additional customers in exchange for the provision PHYSICAL SPACE of free space for a few hours a week (people come The main factors underpinning the project’s success are: to collect their order and take something while there: a coffee, drink or even a meal). Recently, A DECENTRALIZED NETWORK WITH SEVERAL STAKEHOLDERS: The Food Assembly also formed a partnership The Food Assembly model places considerable emphasis on with SNCF-French Railways. Assemblies are held initiative and the entrepreneurial spirit of the Assembly Hosts. This in 35 stations today; the target is to double this makes The Food Assembly a decentralized, diverse and innovative number to around 70 by the end of 2017. This network. It relies on four stakeholders: partnership is part of an approach for users to THE ASSEMBLY HOSTS sit at the heart of The Food Assembly project. reclaim the public space in stations. There are around 850 independent people who have decided to open their Assemblies and to offer local products for sale in their neighborhood. They identify the producers and must provide “THE ASSEMBLY MODEL WAS QUICKLY products from at least all ﬁ ve of the basic food categories, i.e., fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy products and bread. Once a week, they ADOPTED BY CITY-DWELLERS, ESPECIALLY open the online sales and organize the physical distribution at the IN LARGE CITIES, WHO HAVE EXPRESSED venue they have selected, made available free-of-charge or rented, A STRONG DESIRE FOR NEW MODES during which the members come and collect their products from OF CONSUMPTION.” the producers. The Hosts can, if they want, organize events to help

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develop community life and to create ties between consumers and AN EASY-TO-USE DIGITAL TOOL producers. Since September 2011, more than 67,000 distributions AND CONSTANTLY UPGRADED SOFTWARE have been held in France. The digital interface has been designed to be easy THE PRODUCERS: The Food Assembly’s 5,000 producers are for all stakeholders to access and use: producers professionals, farmers or artisans. They sell directly or online to groups of (manage their profile, catalogue, stock and consumers (Assemblies), which generally are just one sales outlet among online orders), Assembly Hosts (promote sales) many for them. More than €75 million has been paid to the producers and members (access to the communities and registered with the Assemblies in the past ﬁ ve years. online payment). The Food Assembly’s success is dependent on making the tools easy to access THE CONSUMERS: the 175,000 people who have become members and use. of one or several Assemblies are free to order whatever products they choose and then come and collect their purchases during the There are 40 people engaged in developing the distribution. An Assembly’s average basket is around €40 in France, digital interfaces in order to constantly improve with signiﬁ cant differences depending on the region and Assembly. them in terms of design, member experience, etc., and to continuously look for technical solutions to THE “FOOD ASSEMBLY”: this is the SSE company whose task is to the stakeholders’ needs. provide the tools (web platform) for producers, Assembly Hosts and members to communicate with each other, and to unite the network A HYBRID CONCEPT BETWEEN AN ONLINE (support for Assembly Hosts, producers, etc.). One half of the “Food PLATFORM AND A PHYSICAL SPACE Assembly” team develops the web platform and the other half The models used by digital platforms are provides support for the networks of producers and Hosts to help sometimes criticized for their anonymous them develop their activity. and impersonal aspects. The Food Assembly This network organization means responsibilities and roles can be decided to articulate the online platform with shared between stakeholders. It allows the model to evolve and the organization of weekly physical markets. The adapt to producers’ and consumers’ needs. In short, there are as reality of The Food Assembly materializes each many Food Assembly experiences as there are Assembly Hosts’ week for the consumer through the Assembly experiences. Each person has the possibility of opening his or her Host and the producers they meet. own Assembly and this has allowed the initiative to develop rapidly across regions.

100 % € €

8,35 % 8,35 %

€ € € €

The Food Assembly The way the service charge is used

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The Food Assembly Farm in Chauvry (France)

4. THE NEXT CHALLENGES develop these urban initiatives by linking more easily and more smartly – to adopt the smart city terminology – urban producers FOR THE FOOD ASSEMBLY and consumers. The Food Assembly is facing several challenges at the city scale. These challenges concern HOST ISSUES the producers, Assembly Hosts and consumer 1. Access to distribution points: Assembly Hosts are always looking members. for visible and accessible places to organize their distribution operations. In many cases, venues can be made available free-of- PRODUCER ISSUES charge (restaurants, cafes, shops, etc.). Venues can also be public 1. Optimizing logistics. Travel time to get to and spaces. City authorities could help identify spaces and make them around cities, parking problems and truck available for distributions when they are not being used for other access in cities are major challenges that need purposes. Digital technology could again help optimize venue use to be resolved for SFSCs in large cities. Logistics and provide information more readily (list of available venues on is often considered one of the obstacles line, etc.). for SFSCs and accounts for 15 to 30% of a 2. Professionalizing Hosts who express the desire to upskill: here, product’s selling price. the issue is to provide these Hosts with daily support for their 2. Integrating urban farmers: in 2017, The Food business. In 2017, more than half of all Hosts expressed the desire Assembly tested working with urban farmers, to go professional, that is to grow this activity and make it a more such as Agricool, which grows strawberries signiﬁ cant part of their income. in containers in the French capital; Le Paysan Urbain, which grows edible bean sprouts in C ONSUMER ISSUES the Paris region; and French company La boîte Greater recognition of the diversity of consumers, their needs à champignons which has created boxes for and food habits: the model offered by The Food Assembly does not growing mushrooms in coffee grinds. The aim work everywhere in the same way. For example, in London, there are is to work under partnership arrangements 13 Assemblies, but the volume of orders is so far much smaller than with the various urban stakeholders to invent in Paris. There are several possible reasons for this: the logistics, the city of the future. For example, the City mentioned above are more complex for the producers and the of Paris has made a strong commitment to existence of several delivery systems, including to small specialist developing urban agriculture within its territory. food shops, and Londoners’ food habits. The Food Assembly needs It is planned to develop 100 hectares by 2020 to adapt its offer to its urban consumers, their needs and their on rooftops, walls, etc.). Digital tools can help constraints, which can be far greater in urban than in rural areas.

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THREE QUESTIONS TO RAPHAËLLE MOREAU, ASSEMBLY HOST AT THE PALAIS DE LA FEMME IN PARIS

Raphaëlle Moreau, 28, is a business developer/ key account manager at Doctolib, France. For the past 18 months, she has also been the Assembly Host at the Palais de la Femme in Paris’s 11th Arrondissement.

COULD YOU BRIEFLY EXPLAIN TO US THE ROLE It’s very time-consuming at the start – about two days AND DAY-TO-DAY WORK OF AN ASSEMBLY HOST? a week for around two months during the opening Obviously, the ﬁ rst step is to set up your Assembly by phase – but over time, things fall into place. Today, it applying to The Food Assembly. You will need to have takes me three to four hours prior to sales and one found a venue to organize the distributions. The case evening a week for the distribution. of the Assembly I manage is a little different as I took over an Assembly project in the 11th Arrondissement WHAT DO YOU GET OUT OF MANAGING at the Palais de la Femme. This is a Salvation Army AN ASSEMBLY? establishment for preventing social exclusion among I’m a country girl. When I came to Paris, I missed this women. The Palais de la Femme offered to provide contact with the rural world. I was a member of an the venue free-of-charge to open an Assembly on the Assembly, but I soon wanted to do more. I like the condition that it included a solidarity component for contact with the producers and the relationships the center’s residents. we build up. The idea of making even a modest Once the venue has been found and the application contribution to reducing our ecological footprint accepted by The Food Assembly, the Host’s task is appeals. An Assembly also helps develop community to put together the offer by contacting producers life: a lot of members send us messages saying that (site visits, identifying new suppliers and relying the Assembly is a focal point for the neighborhood. on existing suppliers, etc.) to select the products. The solidarity aspect that we offer with the Palais de The Assembly I manage is a “solidarity Assembly.” la Femme is also a way of feeling useful. Ultimately, This means the members have access to a list of it is a gratifying experience because it is a personal products while a “basket of products” is provided for achievement. the Palais de la Femme residents for €5. This basket is sponsored by our producers. The Assembly members IN YOUR VIEW, WHAT IMPACTS DO THE ASSEMBLIES can also purchase solidarity products if they wish, HAVE ON A CITY? which are then distributed to the Palais residents. I think the Assemblies have a very local impact, One the Assembly has been established, the day-to- at the neighborhood level. People don’t know each day role of a Host is to organize sales: contact with other and then they start coming to the distributions producers, selection of products from the producers’ together, place orders for each other, and so on. catalogue, emailing Assembly members with details of We create a mini-community within a neighborhood. the next sale, etc. The sale is then open on the digital This community meets during the distributions but interface and the members have around one week maintains its contact outside these times thanks to place their orders. After the sale has closed, the to the digital interface where people can talk, keep Host organizes the distribution with the assistance of in contact, etc. The Assemblies can also be a way volunteers if necessary along with several producers for people to get to know their neighborhood better on site. Then, you have to manage the after-sales or to rediscover certain aspects of it. For example, aspects (products missing from a basket, any not many people, even the locals, are aware of damaged items, call members who have forgotten the Palais de la Femme’s existence. to come and collect their order, etc.). At the same time as the sales, Hosts also act as moderators of their network of members and producers: they provide recipes online, present the producers, arrange product tastings, etc.